HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Aculeata > APOIDEA > Halicidae

There are 33 Lasioglossum species on the British list with the majority being very difficult to identify even with microscopic examination and, consequently, most of the individuals I photograph will end up being recorded as unidentified. They are also very similar to the 6 closely related Halictus species, so I’m in no doubt that I’ll be very reliant on the knowledge and identifications skills of others. As a point of interest, Lasioglossum is the world’s largest bee genus with over 1,700 recognised species. They are often referred to as ‘sweat bees’, like the Halictus species, owing to the liking of some foreign species to human sweat.